Recently there has been considerable interest in a novel surrogate marker of endothelial injury, endothelial microparticles (EMP), in a number of diseases characterised by endothelial injury. This review examines the data relating to EMP in human disease states, and examines the potential for EMP to provide a window onto the activated endothelium in primary systemic vasculitides. The utility of EMP for the diagnosis and monitoring of active vasculitis is discussed.